Capital seeks sustainable urban development solutions from Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul
VGP - Pham Qui Tien, Vice Chairman of the Ha Noi People's Council led a Vietnamese delegation visited Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul, the three metropolises in East Asia to exchange ideas on urban planning and development.
The delegation visits Seoul
During an 11-day trip to the three cities in late August, the Ha Noi delegates visited the Zhongguancun Science Park and Urban Planning Center in Beijing, the Tokyo Metro Training Center in Tokyo, and the Seoul Startup Hub in Seoul.
Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul are among the world's metropolises that have harmoniously integrated ancient buildings into modern landscapes.
The delegation at Beijing
Local authorities in Beijing said on August 22 that the city is drafting the capital city law, so they welcome and want to learn from Ha Noi in this area.
Vice Chairman Tien said that the Capital Law will facilitate Ha Noi to achieve sustainable growth, and he hoped to explore the practices and facts in the foreign cities, especially Beijing.
At the meeting, the two sides discussed issues related to the establishment of sub-municipal agencies, overall urban development and planning, development of public transport and intelligent transportation, and preservation of historical and cultural relics.
The People's Councils of the two cities also agreed to promote cooperation and increase people-to-people exchanges on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of Ha Noi-Beijing relations next year.
The delegation visit Metro Tokyo
At the working meeting with Tokyo authorities on August 25, the Ha Noi delegation was briefed on the structure and operation of Tokyo's administrative hierarchy and local self-government, as well as Tokyo's policies in socio-economic fields.
The Tokyo officials hoped that the results of the meeting would benefit Ha Noi in its urban planning and strengthen city-to-city relations.
Pham Qui Tien, Deputy Chairman of the Ha Noi People's Council, said that Tokyo's socio-economic standards have been promoted by appropriate policies, and that such policies will be of great value to Ha Noi in developing its regulatory system.
Japan has long been known for its successful development of cities and public transport under the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) model, which is a good example for Ha Noi as the Vietnamese capital seeks ways to expand the mass transit network.
On August 29, the delegation had a meeting with the Seoul Metropolitan Council led by Chairman Kim Hyeonki.
The Korean official said that the Ha Noi delegates' trip strengthens the local-to-local partnership between Seoul and Ha Noi and accelerates the two cities' cooperation in legislative work.
Chairman Kim also called upon the two cities to ratify a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) soon to facilitate future cooperation activities./.
